Archive for August, 2009

Yesterday I mentioned to DH about the names Frick & Frack… Seemed like it was an allusion to something or someone but wasn’t sure? He looked the info. up in Wikipedia http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frick_and_Frack. The following poem is adapted from a eulogy given by Charles Osgood of CBS Sunday Morning…
Frick & Frack

Werner Groebli & Hans R. Mauch and their two men ice-skating act
Didn’t perform as Groebli and Mauch but called themselves Frick & Frack

Groebli was Frick and Mauch was Frack,
Together they were a long running Ice Follies sensation
Who performed in a manner so nice that they
Always earned an ovation

Frick, a village in Switzerland
Frack, a kind of Swiss coat
And that with the skaters’ own background is what the name denote

None could compare with the Frick & Frack pair
Who could do what all others could not do…

Their names have now entered the language
And there is no taking it back
From now on special partners, buddies, and friends
Will always be called Frick & Frack

Just another routine visit. Dr. B placed the spring on the right lower side instead of the left lower side to help close another small gap. I guess he thought the lower left didn’t warrant a spring this time. I almost walked out of the office when he took a second look and thought he could do better for me (at first it was just brackets, elastic ligatures, and archwire). I asked for purple elastics this time just because I was in a purple mood. Last Saturday DH, Stella, and I visited with DH’s family in Connecticut. His Aunt Anne asked how long I’ve had my braces and I answered her with the exact date to her amazement. Everyone seemed to be watching me struggle a little to cut corn on the cob with a knife (trying hard not to chop my fingers off); an excuse for gaucheness when one has braces. Tonight my right side lowers around the spring feel a little achy. I’m glad this started after dinner and not before. It’s not too bad. Tomorrow should be better. One more day and I can celebrate my 1 year Braces Anniversary! Wow, I almost can’t believe it. I can’t wait until I can whiten my teeth and figure out what to do regarding the right upper recession (would have to seek the advice of an oral surgeon if I decide to have the area fixed).

P.S. I have on Essence of Beauty Lip Frosting in Strawberry Cheesecake (available at CVS) and really like it.

It is customary for Jake to greet me warmly in the morning, shadowing my every move. Late afternoon it was just Jake and me. He loves his back caresses and tummy rubs and practically demands it daily by signaling with head butts, licks, and slinking his body down onto his back (spread eagle) as if to say, “okay, I’m ready!” Today was no different. After a few minutes of caresses up and down his spine, Jake slowly walked over to his lazy lounger, kneaded it all around dreamily, laid down, gave a final content little cat gasp, rested his head onto his outstretched front paws, and zoomed off to dreamland as I watched :)… I had to get this on camera… Uhm, what trust he has of me; he kept his eyes closed the whole time, even with the camera clicks and flash…

These pics were taken earlier. Jake has made a habit of following my every move so closely that it’s become challenging for me to prepare my breakfast. I figure he’s a little lonely when Opie is taking his very long catnaps. Typically Opie wakes up anywhere from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm. Once Opie is awake, Jake stays close by his side. The dynamic duo…..

Both Jake and Opie were diagnosed with otitis waxy externa (with brown wax) in their ears. Although mites were ruled out, to our relief, this condition may or may not be easily resolved since etiology could have a link to genetics. I just checked Jake’s right ear this morning and saw a little raw spot with blood so I gently cleaned his ears with pet ear cleansing pads. I called Dr. P’s office for advice. They advised me should problems persist, to clean their ears max. three times per week either with the pet ear cleansing pads (which I purchased from Petland) or gauze with mineral oil and to use the Animax cream (vet. prescribed) no more than three consecutive days. They also advised that Animax cream should be used as an occasional spot treatment, not for long term use. Should the problem persist despite our efforts, Jake may need an ear flush for deep cleaning. Opie seems to be doing better than Jake but I will try to get a closer look when Opie wakes up from his catnap. Poor Neo had this condition life-long in his right ear too. I’m angry that Dr. K just advocated twice weekly ear cleanings at home and didn’t prescribe ointment for this issue at all. I had trusted Dr. K with Neo’s care. I wish I had known more about otitis waxy then like I do now.

This story picks up from where we left off previously… Opie and Jake are now in their new home. Though they were freed from their crates to do as they pleased, they chose to hide or to stay in the crate instead. DH and I left them alone for several hours, only looking over our shoulders a few times to check on them. Elmsford Animal Shelter had already advised us to expect this behavior from them.

The next day, Jake stayed under the dining table (a picnic table covered with Longerberger linens made this a cozy spot), while Opie hid in the nearby coat closet. I gave them breakfast in the morning. After several attempts to interact with them, by late evening both of them allowed me to pet them on the head. I was careful not to make much eye contact with them except when I was giving them food, water, or toys to play with. Before I knew it, I was greeted with head butts, drops onto their backs to receive tummy rubs, licks on my hands, and kisses on my face from Jake. I didn’t expect positive responses from them so soon; yes, I was a happy girl!

Jake and Opie had really warmed up to me a lot in 48 hours; however, I noticed a problem brewing between Jake and Opie. Every time Opie approached Jake and I (while I was playing with Jake), Jake would become stressed and hiss at Opie and sometimes even at me. I felt badly for Opie since he seemed to not understand the change in Jake’s cattitude towards him. When this happened, I could tell Opie became somewhat withdrawn and less playful towards me. I didn’t know what to do to repair their relationship or why this problem came about in the first place. They were the best of sheltermates and I was saddened to see them like this.

I consulted a cat forum friend regarding this problem. Heidi had spent many years caring for feral cats and helping them to convert to domestic life. She explained it could be “redirected or misdirected aggression and that these two cats who have been removed from their familiar place, are now in a new situation and ‘things’ that just aren’t the same…different sights, different sounds, different smells, and that is why [Jake] was getting stressed and seemed not ‘recognize’ his buddy.” She encouraged me to be patient and to allow them some more time to adjust, to try to get them near each other and have “good things” happen when they are in sight of each other; like food-treats, petting, playing with simple toys like feather-strings and stuff that I could control and keep the cats playing or interested in being near me.

Heidi was right. The next day came and by late evening I saw Jake and Opie best buddies again to my relief :). Since then, there has been daily progress. As they have become more relaxed with their surroundings and with us, they have blossomed into two great boys who can finally enjoy their new home. They have also been very well-mannered towards their older dog sister, Stella (who’s a third of their weight). Via supervised meetings, both cats have shown curiosity towards her by little sniffs here and there but nothing more. Yet another hurdle crossed… phewww…..

Other personal issues cropped up on June 2, 2009 necessitating a delay of my dental deep cleaning and ortho follow-up to July 16. An uneventful follow-up visit with a request for fluoride treatment. Dr. M (who usually does the extractions) had performed the dental cleaning instead of one of the usual hygienists. Why? Not sure. Maybe because I’m at the half-way point now. I told Dr. M that I noticed the last upper tooth and the tooth before (which was root canaled and crowned) traps a lot of food. He examined the space and said the two teeth are not aligned properly. He noted it was a very fixable problem. I decided to wait until the braces came off to decide on what to do. There’s still too much movement to commit to a solution. I would just have to work extra hard to keep the space clean. The ortho spring was replaced since the gap is still there. I asked Dr. B for blue ligatures this time (in solidarity for Neo). My poor Neo cat passed away the day before. If it wasn’t for this visit, I probably would have stayed the entire day in bed depressed.

I phoned the dental office on May 26, 2009 regarding both upper elastic ligatures (on the anchor tooth) somehow came off, causing the archwire to lose tension. Every time I tried to snap the archwire into the brackets, it would pop right out. I was only able to speak to the receptionist. She put me on hold to consult the dentist. They didn’t offer an appointment to me unless the situation was causing me pain. I was a little annoyed at them but tried to stay calm. They advised me to hold the archwire down with ortho wax (which I tried without success before I called them). I figured one more week of waiting would be okay. This was a problem I failed to foresee when I decided to get my braces at this particular dental office. It’s horrible that their orthodontist only works out of that office twice a month on Thursdays only. A few days after the call, I had a similar problem with the lower archwire. At least this time, I could pop the archwire back in place. It was a little annoying that I had to do this several times a day. I was thankful that the archwire ends were not digging into my gums or mouth.

Of course, when I had my follow-up appointment on June 4, I complained to Dr. B and his assistant. His assistant told me that I could have come in to see her for help and that she could have replaced the ligatures for me. Oh well, too late now, I thought. She was surprised that the receptionist gave me misinformation on what to do. Looks like the left and right hand aren’t speaking to each other. I can’t believe I’m the first patient to have experienced this issue? Too bad it’s something I couldn’t have replaced myself. It’s not the most convenient office for me to travel to.

Otherwise, another routine visit. Dr. B has placed an ortho spring to help close the gap between two left lowers. I guess it’s suppose to push a tooth back. Whatever it takes to close the gap, I guess? I made a decision to stay away from the green elastic ligatures, since they were the only ones to cause me problems. By the time, this appointment rolled around, I had lost several of them. There were no problems with the other colors. Not sure if the green ones were defective in some way?

A couple of personal issues came up; unfortunately causing me to delay this visit. Initially the appointment was scheduled for April 23, 2009 but was postponed until today. I asked for green elastic ligatures this time to celebrate the evincing of Spring… I have to have a little fun with this braces experience somehow. I’ve had less problems with pressure sores recently. It’s probably because there’s a little less movement of my teeth. I suppose they are more or less where they need to be; that is, give or take within millimeters.